Void free birch ply

[daveking66]

Does anyone know if it's possible to find void free high quality birch ply these days?

I need to find a source of high quality ply for a job where the edges will be exposed for decoration but every product from every supplier I have so far looked at has contained numerous voids on at least one edge, and this includes a specialist ply importer.

I own some beautiful ply furniture with exposed edges which must be around 30 years old and the quality of the ply and uniformity of the laminations is perfect.

Can anyone tell me if this quality of ply is still available or am I on a hiding to nothing?

If anyone can let me know I'd be grateful as I'm getting tired of spending my Saturdays touring timber merchants looking at rubbish plywood.

thanks,
Dave

 

[Aled Dafis]

We use some nice quality ply at school, I haven't noticed any voids in it, we buy it in from Latham Timber

Cheers
Aled

 

[adidat]

when we used blumsons in barking 2 years back. the birch faced ply they sent us was excellent. any knots are chopped out with a punch and replaced with clean stock.

adidat

 

[mickthetree]

Just to follow up on a PM Dave sent me.

Chiltern Timber in Apsley / Hemel Hempstead. Some really nice birch ply. I got a sheet of 9mm ply at the weekend and it is lovely stuff. No voids, one really good face and one pretty good. £43 inc with one cut to rip it down to get it in the car. £3 setup fee for the panel saw and £1 per cut but wouldnt have got it in the car without.

 

[daveking66]

Adidat,

Can you let me know what the edges were like on the Blumsoms stuff, and if there were any voids visible?

The edges will be visible on my job, so it's crucial that they look good.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Andy RV]

Might be worth looking into aero grade ply, my neighbor is building a scale spitfire and has to use specific aero ply to meet aviation regs, I didn't look closely but it looked to be very high quality.

 

[Ollie78]

WISA Twin ply available at Jewsons.

It is very nice, so far I have had a few sheets of 12mm and made some drawers and stuff.
It is not 100% void free as I found 1 small void in the middle layer (not bad as I am ripping it pretty small) but only 20mm long and not deep, and none in the other bits at all, it has very even construction.

Ollie

 

[mickthetree]

Hi Ollie

How many cores in the 12mm? Birch faced? Mind if I ask how much a sheet 8x4?

 

[Ollie78]

Its seven layers in all one thin one each side then five equal thicker ones.
can`t remember the price but it wasn`t silly money.
The thing with Jewsons is you just need to make sure you are getting the `right` discount. I have been quoted wildly differing prices for the same stuff (Meranti door cills) on different occasions. I set up a cash account, which helped.

 

[custard]

Another vote for Jewson's WISA

 

[adidat]

Adidat,

Can you let me know what the edges were like on the Blumsoms stuff, and if there were any voids visible?

The edges will be visible on my job, so it's crucial that they look good.

Cheers,

Dave

if i remember correctly the edges where fine. someone made a coffee table out of the stuff and through tenoned the ply leg into the top so that the ends of the tenon where exposed on the top. also the staff at blumsons are very helpful

adidat

 

[Aled Dafis]

Something tells me that the ply we get in from Lathams is Wisa ply also.

 

[daveking66]

That's great, cheers for everyones input.

Will let you know how I get on.

cheers,

Dave